Category: PlayStation

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Destiny first launched on PS3 and PS4? 10 years since players first chose Hunter, Titan, or Warlock and jumped into Bungie’s expansive sci-fi world to build up their fledgling Guardian. I can still vividly remember my first time facing off against a daunting Fallen Walker in the Cosmodrome during the Destiny alpha all those years ago.

To celebrate the series’ decade-long run, we asked developers from PlayStation Studios to share their fondest memories playing Destiny and their developer perspective on what makes the game so sticky and satisfying.

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With no further ado, happy 10th anniversary, Destiny!

“When Destiny first launched, and after I played for a bit, I actually reached out to my old high school friends who live in another town and convinced them to buy a PS4 and immediately join me. We had such a great time that it kickstarted our weekly game night that has been going on since 2014. Destiny was basically the reason why we reconnected and became even better friends.

I usually can’t play a game without analyzing the animations. I’ve always been impressed with Destiny’s cinematics and enemy animations. Each faction has always felt very distinct and unique from each other with varied personalities coming through their movement. Bungie’s use of runtime, full-body IK rigs has always been amazing as well.“

– Bruno Velazquez, Game Director, Santa Monica Studio

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“I got Destiny two months after release as a birthday present to myself, and it gave me so many moments of joy throughout this past decade, and a fireteam of lifelong friends.

But the one moment I will never get over is the opening mission of the Shadowkeep expansion. One of my friends made it out of the Hive’s tunnels first and said: ‘Oh my god, you guys gotta get up here, now.’ I can still remember the awe and horror of turning the corner in the tunnels of the moon and seeing a huge pyramid embedded in the lunar rock, and processing what it meant. One of the best reveals I’ve ever seen done.

As a lighting artist, Destiny is a huge inspiration for me, from the beautiful skyboxes to the excellent use of color and silhouette to create interest, focal points, and lead the player throughout fantastical spaces. It’s a dream of mine to work on a game with such freedom of color and atmosphere!“

– Jen Carlin, Lighting Artist, Insomniac Games

“Destiny is a game I’ve been playing on and off since September 2014. I begged my aunt to get it for me as an early Christmas gift because even from the early trailers, I knew this game was special. Through high school, college, and my career at PlayStation, it’s always been there.

When I enter the Tower, no matter how long of a hiatus it’s been, it feels like coming home. Which of course made it all the more devastating when we lost the first one, and all the more elating when we found it again in the Pale Heart. Destiny has achieved an incredible symbiosis based on the dedication of not just the developers but also the players and community, which allows them to create this intense emotional connection. 

As a Narrative and Mission designer, the longevity of the story, the depth of the world-building, and the memorability of not just the main campaigns but the seasonal stories have left a profound impression on me that makes me wish I could experience it all over again and hope to emulate in the future of my career.“

– Sam Jordan, Designer, Insomniac Games

“My earliest memory of Destiny is running Relic Iron loops on Mars for a friend, but my favorite memory would have to be my raid team beating Nezarac on contest mode after we wiped during the final stand, all thanks to one friend’s insistence on using Osteo Striga.

The player expression through buildcrafting is what keeps me constantly interested in Destiny, especially the minutia of how a build can differ from person to person. I love fine-tuning my support builds to help my teammates, whether that’s printing orbs on Arc Hunter, locking down the battlefield on Stasis Warlock, or creating safe havens on Void Titan. Happy 10th anniversary Destiny, you’ve definitely become legend!“

– Matthew Makuch, Senior Technical Designer, Bend Studio

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“Each raid has a physical jacket you can buy if you complete it in the first week. My favorite is my first, the Crown of Sorrow jacket. The jacket features a chalice and my gamer tag. I didn’t have a clan, but that was worth trying LFG. At minimum Power, the difficulty got ridiculous. Most hits would put me one shot from death. Eventually, the group kicked me, and I went to bed dispirited and disappointed.

The next day, I joined another LFG for one last shot an hour before reset. In the group were speedrunners from Fast who’d set the world record two weeks later. I only realized when they flew across and skipped the whole jumping puzzle!

At the final boss, random crystals spawned which required two players to melee them. I was so focused on surviving I’d often miss the spawn, so I heard a constant chorus of “Behind you!  Hurry up!”  With ten minutes before reset, we wiped on an enrage [an attack that’s unleashed if players take too long] just before we killed the boss.  But we rallied and got the kill with only minutes left. In less than 24 hours, I had gone from the lowest to the highest point in my Destiny journey.“

– Jeffrey Lininger, Senior Game Designer, Guerrilla

“One of my favourite things about Destiny is that it’s like a social sandbox and a TV show I can’t get enough of rolled into one. Guiding a group of my friends through Vault of Glass, their first raid, was a brilliant experience!

My first instinct when I find anything cool is to tell someone about it. So it was so much fun to be able to share one of my all time favourite experiences, take them through each encounter and watch them, well, die over and over but also get excited as they figure out each mechanic and eventually succeed.

At the same time, it’s a world that’s so fascinating to explore and delve into. Reading through the Books of Sorrow and the work of the amazing writing team is as impactful to me as exploring the Pale Heart or finally defeating Skolas when we foolishly (or bravely?) tried that week Lightswitch was the modifier. Good times. Telesto is also the Besto.“

– Luke Gillard, Senior Functional Tester, Guerrilla / PlayStation QA

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“The most memorable moment for me is the entrance of the Witch Queen expansion as you cannonball (quite literally) through an endless bound of beautiful locations that left me speechless.

Destiny 2 is a masterpiece in visual quality and graphical standards; the carefully crafted environments are rich with narrative design and especially to me, the lighting. The artistic lighting since Destiny began has had such a significant influence on the methods that I use to approach lighting in similarly enriched environments. From the use of colour, compositions and implementation to gameplay, the artistic talent of the team truly sets one of the highest standards for our industry and they continually prove that with each new expansion.

“

– Daniel Sewell, Senior Lighting Artist, Haven

What are your earliest and fondest memories from Destiny’s past 10 years?

Astro Bot made his anticipated return to PS5 with last week’s release of the titular game. Team Asobi, the PlayStation Studio behind Astro’s Playroom, infused the little bot’s big new adventure with enough stages, power-ups, secrets, and fun to make any 3D platforming fan grin.

With the game’s launch fresh in our minds, I visited Team Asobi’s studio to interview the development team about the studio’s history, development style, and tribute to 30 years of PlayStation. Let’s delve right into it.

Art & Animation: Everything begins with gameplay ideas

Left: Jamie Smith, Principal Animation Director, Team Asobi
Middle: Sebastian Brueckner, Principal Art Director, Team Asobi
Right: Maki Murakami Senior Animator, Team Asobi

PlayStation Blog: What do you prioritize the most when creating characters?

Jamie Smith: I pay close attention to “playfulness.” When creating animations, we model how children express joy, like jumping up and down with excitement, to elicit jubilant feelings among players. Children are packed with actions and emotions, and we strive to imbue all these essences in our character designs.

How do you decide which of these ideas make it into the game?

Sebastian Brueckner: First and foremost, everyone must agree that these ideas will enhance the gameplay. We don’t choose ideas solely from the art aspects, but everything begins with the gameplay ideas. As a team, we collectively envision a series of gameplay scenarios and make decisions on the world and its details. For instance, if the gameplay involves ice, we further collaborate on the idea and may suggest the sea as the world setting. Once the details are finalized, the art comes in to refine the world.

Maki Murakami: This brainstorming process is particularly palpable in Astro’s new power-ups and enhancement designs. Handy-D is one example. The idea behind this long-armed monkey was to assist Astro in climbing. Then we explored the ideas on how we could make it cuter and agreed on the design for it to be carried on Astro’s back. We create prototypes, then playtest them and refine them together to take the level of fun to eleven.

Tech & Programming: New features stem from the passion for delivering new experiences

Left: Toshimasa Aoki, Sr Principal Product Manager
Right: Masayuki Yamada, Principal Gameplay Programming Lead, Team Asobi

Tell us about Team Asobi’s unique modeling techniques.

Masayuki Yamada: Gameplay programmers start by creating primitive models based on the specifications provided by the designers and test the gameplay with them. Once we verify the models are indeed fun, the artists step in to elevate the experience. Our team process is different from others in the sense that we first define what makes the gameplay fun and then amplify that aspect of the game even further.

As a hardware developer, how do you feel about the DualSense controller transforming into a character and featuring in the game as the Dual Speeder?

Toshimasa Aoki: I was genuinely thrilled to see the controller I helped create featured in the game. Before Astro Bot, the controllers received a spotlight only in the User’s Guide. But look at them now, flying around in the game as 3D characters, responding to every move and action. What better way to showcase the hardware than this?

Team Asobi’s work is also a great platform to highlight new PlayStation technologies, like PlayStation VR and the DualSense controller. To deliver these new, unique features to players, is there anything your team focuses on?

Toshimasa: We introduce new features because we want to create new experiences for our players. Our close collaboration with Team Asobi allows us to test prototypes early in their development. When we see smiles or hear chuckles from the team, it’s a sign that we’ve successfully created something new, and those reactions are a testament to the motivation in our work.

A game packed with fun action and 30 years of PlayStation history

Nicolas Doucet, Studio Head, Team Asobi

What do you think is Team Asobi’s unique strength that sets the studio apart from others?

Nicolas Doucet: Our strengths are ideas and speed. Innovation is a key aspect of Sony’s DNA, and achieving innovation requires testing numerous ideas. Ideas and speed are inseparable when it comes to promptly identifying what works. And that’s what Team Asobi excels in. Everyone on the team is always eager, inspired, and motivated to create something new.

What kind of experiences do you want players to have when they play Astro Bot?

Doucet: For veteran gamers, we hope to bring them the fun of platform action games and a sense of nostalgia, as the title is packed with tributes to PlayStation’s 30 years of history. With cameos like PaRappa, I hope players feel a wave of joy and nostalgia when encountering these familiar faces.

I also feel a profound sense of responsibility towards novice players, especially very young gamers about to embark on their first gaming adventure. I vividly remember the first time I played a video game- it was incredibly fun and left a lasting impression on me. If Astro Bot is someone’s first video game and sparks the same joy and excitement that I felt, I would be personally delighted.

What are some unique advantages that come with being part of PlayStation Studios? And how do you collaborate with other PlayStation Studios?

Doucet: Since this title packs in much of PlayStation history, we worked closely with all the PlayStation Studios. When we shared our concept with the studio directors and game creators, their responses were overwhelmingly positive. Initially, I thought we could only feature around 50 characters out of the 150 characters we wanted to feature. But to our greatest surprise, the studios unanimously agreed to the cameo of all 150 characters. Apart from our PlayStation Studios, we were also lucky to collaborate with third-party publishers.

What message do you have for the players who are waiting eagerly for the Astro Bot’s release?Doucet: We’ve spent three years creating Astro Bot for both long-time PlayStation fans and new players, so please take your time and enjoy every nook and cranny of the game. We’ve also hidden many secrets and surprises, so have fun exploring and discovering them all!

Last week, we asked you share gaming characters getting to work using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

MrioMoreno5 shares Lake protagonist Meredith delivering mail and package in her hometown.

snejku23 shares Rivet grabbing a selfie with some industrial workers in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

juniaxe shares Ada showing off her credentials in Resident Evil 2 Remake.

fsantos1697 shares Sam Bridges pausing to collect himself while delivering things in Death Stranding.

call_me_xavii shares Alan staring down writer’s block (or worse) in Alan Wake 2.

SeeyoulaterHihi shares Judy hard at work editing brain dances in Cyberpunk 2077.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Astro Bot
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on September 11, 2024 

Next week, Astro Bot’s off on his next big mission! Share adorable and adventurous moments with the titular bot and his many rescued friends using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Hello PlayStation fans! As we celebrate this Friday’s upcoming release of Astro Bot, Team Asobi’s tribute to 30 years of iconic PlayStation characters, stories, and magical moments, we want to thank you for the love and passion you’ve shown for PlayStation. Your enduring support has made these past three decades possible. While PlayStation’s 30th anniversary is still a few months away, today we’re delighted to share some of the ways we’ll be commemorating this milestone with all of you.

Explore a nostalgic homage to the original Gran Turismo, enjoy digital soundtracks from classic PlayStation games, and create fun moments with our new “Shapes of Play” collection – these are just a few of the ways we’re inviting you to join our community celebration, which starts this month.

And for everyone excited to jump into Astro Bot, we’re pleased to share a first look at a 30th anniversary photo opportunity located in the game’s central hub where Bots you’ve saved throughout your spacefaring adventures will hang out, ready to dance along with your stylish moves.

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An early look at what’s ahead

• My First GT.  This holiday, look forward to a free trial version designed to attract a diverse players of all skill levels to the globally acclaimed Gran Turismo 7. This upcoming release will include some of the favorite cars, tracks, and race events that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience. Look out for more details on My First GT, available to all PS5 and PS4 players this holiday.

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• Digital game soundtracks. In collaboration with Sony Music, each month from October through January, we’ll release for the first time on Spotify a set of digital soundtracks from fan-favorite PlayStation franchises. You’ll be able to stream the following game soundtracks on Spotify or purchase them on various digital music storefronts, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, and participating music retailers:

• God of War​
• God of War II​
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta
• Twisted Metal​
• Starhawk​
• Unit 13

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You can also vibe to our specially curated PlayStation 30th Anniversary playlist on Spotify, available to stream today. We’ll have more to share on the upcoming digital soundtrack releases, which will be added to this playlist over time, so stay tuned!

• Shapes of Play. A new collection of products called “Shapes of Play,” crafted by the team behind the design of PlayStation consoles, gives you opportunities to create fun moments with our iconic shapes:
  • Shapes of Play: Battle is a board game where you can challenge a friend to line up four different shapes of the same color on the board to win.
  • Shapes of Play: Create is a set of magnetic blocks that you can position in any direction to create fun shapes.
  • Shapes of Play: Recharge lets you experience a new way to recharge between games, especially after that tough boss battle.

Shapes of Play will launch in December 2024, exclusively through direct.playstation.com in the US, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Benelux. Preorders start later today exclusively through direct.playstation.com.

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• Free online multiplayer weekend and esports tournaments. Join us later this month for a free online multiplayer weekend and exciting esports tournaments! To celebrate the fantastic online games and communities on PlayStation, we’re hosting a free online multiplayer weekend on Sept. 21 and 22.* During those days, you can enjoy online multiplayer for games you own without having a PlayStation Plus membership, on PS5 and PS4 consoles.

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During the same weekend, we’ll host a series of PS5 esports tournaments, featuring titles like NBA 2K24, NBA 2K25, Madden NFL 24, MLB The Show 24, EA UFC 5, Tekken 8, and Guilty Gear Strive. If you own any of these games and qualify, you can compete on Sept 21 and 22 to win a special 30th anniversary-themed avatar and other game-specific prizes. Players on PS5 can sign up via the Game Hub or the in-game PlayStation Tournaments button. Keep an eye on compete.playstation.com for all the upcoming tournament details.

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Image of the PlayStation avatars players will receive for participating in any of the Sept. 21 – 22 esports tournaments.

As we celebrate 30 years of play, these upcoming activities and releases are just a taste of what’s to come. Be on the lookout for more announcements in the near future!

*Available for PS5 and PS4 games with online mode. Internet connection and account for PlayStation Network required.

Authenticity and style are hallmarks of EA Sports FC’s take on the beautiful game, and there’s no denying that comes through in EA Sports FC 25, which is warming up for a September 27 launch (with early access from September 20 for those that pre-order the Ultimate Edition).

I had a chance to examine the studs of this latest footballing signing with some time on its pristine new pitch, testing its new tactical options and the enticingly fresh Rush 5v5 experience.

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Polish and improvements across the presentation

The gloss expected of EA Sports FC is fully present, with some tweaks made to the TV-style presentation, as well as the style of its matches. The referee and player point-of-view camera for replays and stoppages is used more, offering an up close and personal first-person perspective on goals. The player walkouts have returned to pre-match cutscenes, too, and there are nice little extra in-game details like increased animation on the players’ shirts.

There are also some classic elements that have stayed. DualSense controller feedback is responsive enough to not feel overwhelming when reacting to fouls and shots, while its built-in speaker still captures referee whistles and the oh-so satisfying rustle of the ball hitting the net.

Further to that, many clubs keep some of their highlight chants, whether it’s Manchester City’s Blue Moon, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles for West Ham (and yes, the actual bubbles floating around the pitch have returned, too) or Allez, Allez, Allez from the stands of Villa Park.

Meanwhile, the emphasis on statistics is as impressive as always, with on-pitch overlays popping up to show details such as shots taken in and around the box, and who are the most fatigued players. As before, they remain informative and – most importantly – unobtrusive to the action.

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The gameplay and tactical flow feel good

One of the big things EA is highlighting in EA Sports FC 25 is FC IQ, which tackles the tactical and moment-to-moment elements of the game. Player Roles give each footballer a wider array of on and off the ball behavior, with proficiencies dictating how they act when placed in different positions. In short, it’s even more important to understand a player’s strengths. So you might well have an outstanding goal poacher, but putting them in a false 9 position will only minimize their efficacy.

Which means there’s a greater emphasis on tactical diversity. It’s even more important to ensure you’re harmoniously crafting tactics which suit your players and their familiarity with the Role you’ve given them, handily indicated with a detailed breakdown of each, and a + indicating a proficiency and ++ indicating them being world class.

So to stay on top of an ever changing match, tactical suggestions and pre-sets are now available to select during dead ball moments or pauses such as replays and celebrations. Players move around to their new positions in real time, with a zoomed-in ‘chalkboard’ preview available to see how your team’s shape is affected.

Making quickfire manual or suggested substitutions and tactics in the game is extremely easy, with my changes feeling noticeable both from a visual and gameplay perspective, and even the match commentators noting significant tweaks to my team. EA Sports FC 25 requires less reliance on defensive AI, meaning midfield transitions are even more important and mistakes are more punishable.

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A squad of game modes, and more options for women’s football

Traditional game modes from Cup Finals to the match stipulation changing House Rules are all present, including the world dominating Ultimate Team and all-engrossing Player and Manager Career modes. The latter two are also now available for the women’s teams too, with the WSL, NWSL, D1 Féminine, Liga F and Frauen-Bundesliga all playable, as well as the women’s Champions League.

It’s an important and welcome addition to EA Sports FC, bringing valuable parity across all modes, with the level of detail afforded in the men’s league managers, financial models, player likeness and more being given to the women’s options. 

Running the Rush mode

Another big inclusion to EA Sports FC 25 is the 5v5 Rush experience, integrated across all core game modes, which I can see becoming a fan-favorite for those wanting a quick kickabout with a different level of pomp and flavor. Essentially professional five-a-side football with polished, neon green-hued presentation and even more energetic commentators, Rush is EA Sports FC, arcade style.

In Kick off, you pick a squad from your favorite side, dropped onto a smaller pitch and go for goals. To reflect these changes to the norm, you will be presented to a completely different kick off experience where all players race to the ball when it is launched from the side of the pitch. There are no red cards, those being replaced by a blue card that leads to 1 min off pitch punishment to the player. And offsides are also different, instead of being called starting from the halfway line, they are called from the new attacking third line. Aside from that you still have access to all of your skills and techniques from 11 a side. However, the gameplay is so fast, compact and intense that pulling them off is trickier… and thus more rewarding.

Replays are kept to goals rather than highlights, and everything moves at a pace which is refreshingly brisk and engaging. It’s reminiscent of playground ‘attack, attack, attack’ football where you can go solo instead of passing it around your team, but where’s the fun in that? Not to mention that constructing snappy and successful team moves across the smaller pitch dimensions is even more gratifying…      

With the option to play via Ultimate Team, Clubs, Kick Off and Career mode, the Rush experience could be an instant classic with some like-minded friends – but either way there’s even more in EA Sports FC 25’s locker that you’ll be able to unleash on the pitch when it all kicks off later this month on September 27.

Produced and written by the legendary Hironobu Sakaguchi, and accompanied by a mesmerizing score from Nobuo Uematsu, Fantasian: Neo Dimension’s release on PS5 is set to enchant both new players and long-time Final Fantasy fans alike. Despite being originally designed for mobile in 2021, Fantasian is a full-scale JRPG with undeniable charm. I recently had the chance to dive into an early preview through the Ancient Hill area with Leo, Kina and Cheryl in my party. This segment included a few voiced cutscenes, a small area to explore, and a handful of fights, including an enigmatic special encounter and a classic boss battle. Here’s what stood out.

What’s new in this version

Fantasian: Neo Dimension brings several exciting upgrades with its release on PS5. The most noticeable is the stunning 4K resolution, which makes every detail of the meticulously crafted world pop with breathtaking clarity. Another welcome addition is the dual-language voice acting. Whether you prefer the authenticity of Japanese dialogue or the accessibility of English, Fantasian: Neo Dimension offers a fully voiced experience that brings its cast to life. Finally, the addition of an easier difficulty option means those who are new to the genre will get an easier time going through the title despite its classic JRPG difficulty.

One of the most intriguing new features is the ability to customize your soundtrack. For battles, players can choose between the original music composed for Fantasian —which is obviously excellent considering its author— or mix it up with iconic tracks from a selection of older Final Fantasy titles. You can choose a particular title, or use the random option to get a surprise soundtrack to play over each fight.

A unique art direction

The art direction of Fantasian: Neo Dimension is nothing short of extraordinary. The game’s world is built entirely from hand-crafted dioramas, which have been digitally recreated using drones equipped with 3D scanning technology. This meticulous process resulted in over 150 dioramas that form the game’s various environments, each one brimming with hand painted details.

The dioramas are crafted with an unparalleled level of care, with contributions from notable artists, including Akira Toriyama, the mastermind behind Dragon Ball, and veterans from Japan’s Tokusatsu industry, known for their work on practical effects in films and television. 

Exploring these diorama-based environments feels like stepping into a work of art, with layers of textures and intricate details I wished I could simply reach through the screen and touch. The physical craftsmanship creates a visual experience that is entirely unique to the title.

Merging legacy with innovation

One of the most remarkable aspects of Fantasian: Neo Dimension is how it masterfully combines classic JRPG elements with some innovative gameplay mechanics. Fans of traditional JRPGs will find comfort in the familiar turn-based combat system, complete with elemental weaknesses and your classic spells. However, the game introduces a simple twist by allowing players to manually aim the trajectory of attacks and spells, enabling them to ricochet off multiple enemies. Some of these attacks will be your classic area-of-effect spell or single-target slash, but other attacks will pass through enemies and you can manually adjust the curve of the spell to hit specific enemies in its path. This added layer of strategy is super satisfying, particularly during large-scale battles.

And to boot, larger scale battles are guaranteed by the Dimengeon system, a feature that addresses perhaps one of the most common criticisms of traditional JRPGs: the sometimes repetitive random encounters. Instead of regularly battling the same enemies in the overworld, Fantasian allows you to store these encounters in the Dimengeon, an alternate dimension where you can tackle them all at once. A couple caveats to this: any enemy you haven’t encountered yet will still trigger an instant battle, and you can only store a certain number of enemies before you’ll have to dip your toes in the Dimengeon and clear the queue. 

This system not only streamlines gameplay, allowing you some lovely uninterrupted exploration phases, but also allows for some excellent fights. When you enter the Dimengeon, you’ll find various bonuses scattered throughout letting you steal an enemy’s turn or buff your party’s attacks. Picking these up by aiming your attacks through the bonuses turns these mass battles into thrilling, high-stakes encounters. I found this system particularly enjoyable, as it allowed for more creative approaches in combat. The sheer number of enemies in these Dimengeon battles – which caps at 30 in a single fight – gave me the opportunity to experiment with different spells and strategies, making each encounter fresh and exciting.

Fantasian: Neo Dimension is a beautifully crafted love letter to the JRPGs of old, enriched with modern enhancements that make it feel fresh and innovative. The combination of stunning handcrafted diorama environments, classic gameplay elements, and new mechanics like the Dimengeon system creates an experience that is both nostalgic and novel. As a fan of the genre, my time with Fantasian: Neo Dimension definitely left me eager for the full release.